The Caffeine Crash
by OTAKUbooknerd-OBN
Summary: "Urgh... Alice... Alice, what is this feeling?" Julius doubled over in pain, gripping his stomach. Sighing slightly, Alice walked toward him, gently helping him up. "Julius," she said, touching his shoulder gently. "It's called a caffeine crash." Possible three shot. MAJOR AliceXJulius (no duh)
1. Welcome to Hell, Self Welcome to Hell

**Meh. Okay, so the people reading my other fanfic pry want to eat me right now ───Ｏ（≧∇≦）Ｏ──── ****Eh heh heh heh heh... but hey, inspiration is as inspiration does. And right now I have no, NO JuliusxAlice in OUAW (Once Upon A Wonderland) so I HAD to do SOMETHING to fix it! Hopefully, I'll update the other story before this one... And I think this one is probably just gonna be a three shot (unless I get annoying and start ANOTHER story because I have a million stories that I want to do and blllllaaaarrrgggghhhh I don't have enough time!) so enjoy! ...Unless you despise Julius, in which case the only way I can help you is to hit you on the head with a rock repeatedly. (´･****_･****`)**

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Alice sighed to herself softly, shifting the heavy bags of clockwork parts and groceries uncomfortably from hand to hand before continuing to walk toward the clock tower.

This was _not_ how she had planned on spending Valentine's Day.

What she had wanted to do was stay at the clock tower with Julius, watching him work, and maybe even getting a perfect score on her next cup of coffee. But unfortunately for her, as soon as a _certain something_ had happened, all of her plans for a romantic-_nice_ evening with Julius went completely out the window.

_After all, I'm kind of like his little sister, right? Julius is family! It's not like I'm in _love_ with him...right?_

She felt a sharp pain in her chest. After all, everything that had happened so far was really her fault. It seemed unfair that Julius should have to suffer for her mistake.

"Ouch!" She squeaked in surprise as her foot came in contact with a rock. She tripped, bags flying, and landed directly in a huge puddle of mud she had been planning to skirt around the edge of. Her hair, dress, shoes, and most of her items were completely soaked with dirty water.

"Life. Hates. Me." She muttered to herself, shoving a sodden piece of hair out of her face.

"Ahahahaha! It looks like you took a fall, Alice!" Suddenly, a fresh wave of muddy water crashed over her and into her open mouth, causing her to cough and sputter uncontrollably. The only clue to the cause of her the distress was a single now-muddy boot by the side if the puddle. Her hands curled into fists as she struggled to rise off of the ground.

_Welcome to hell, self. Welcome to hell._

"Ace." She hissed through gritted teeth, "Ace, you are _so_ dead!"

"Aw... Don't be mad! I'll make it up to you by carrying you to the clock tower! But I can't go in because... Well, you know, Julius!" He smiled at her.

_If even Ace won't go in to see him...you know it's bad!_

A slight tremor racked her body.

"Come on, Alice!" And then, ignoring her startled cry, the knight reached down and yanked her over his shoulder.

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"That way!"

"_This_ way?"

"NO! _That_ way!" Alice gestured furiously in the opposite direction that Ace was walking, "The opposite of the way your going!"

"But, Alice, that _is_ this way!"

"...no, it's not."

"Yes it is! Because _that_ way, is the way that goes over there-" he pointed in a random direction which Alice was sure was not the way he had been going, "And _this_ way is that way!" He pointed toward the edge of steep ravine that she didn't want to go anywhere near. "But I suppose, if you really, really want to _this_ way..." He began walking toward the ravine.

Alice felt herself panicking slightly, "I said _that_ way! _That_ way!"

"Eh? I could've sworn you said _this_ way..."

"Oh forget it! Put me down and just let me walk! Besides, I'm probably getting you dirty, anyway."

"I don't mind~! You're really light! And since I don't have anything else to carry..."

"Don't have anything else... Ace, were are my things?!"

"Things? What things? Oh... You mean the things you got for Julius!" He grinned happily, like a schoolchild excited about getting the correct answer.

"Yes those things!" Alice moaned, letting her body go limp, "...You left them on the path, didn't you."

Ace cocked his head to one time, taking a moment to consider the preposition, before finally replying: "Why yes! I did!"

"That is _not_ something to be happy about!"

"Eh? Does Alice not like 'that'? I've always found 'that' a very nice word, it would probably be hard to-"

"ACE!"

_I take it back. Even hell sounds more appealing than this!_

"What?"

"I am going to tell you one more time. Put. Me. Down. Now. Or you'll regret it."

"Waah~! Alice is scary! Fine, I'll put you down. And I'll even go back and get your things for you! ...for a price."

"And just what," she snarled. "would that be?"

"You'll see! Come on!" And then, to Alice's immense surprise, Ace set her upright on her feet right at...

_The clock tower?! How (and when) did we get _here_?!_

"Now for the price..." Ace's grin turned absolutely evil.

"W-Wait... I haven't exactly agreed on anything yet, so..." Se bit her bottom lip nervously.

"Really? I was sure that you had!" He sauntered toward her, grinning. As he advanced, Alice slowly back up until her back eventually pressed into the cold stone of the clock tower. Even still, Ace continued walking toward her until there was a mere inch between their faces.

"U-Um..." Alice tried to slip away from him by moving to one side, but quickly slammed both of his arms on either side of her head, grinning.

He opened his mouth to say something but he never got the chance.

Suddenly, the door swung open.

"And just what the hell are you two doing out here?!" A rumpled-lookingclock master roared, looking furious, "Alice I told you to go and get clock parts! Ace, you shouldn't even be here right now! Just what part of that is too complicated for you two-" Suddenly he faltered, clutching his head in his hands. "Urgh... Alice... Alice, what is this goddamned _feeling_?!"

Sighing slightly, Alice walked toward him, gently helping him back into the clock tower. She vaguely realized that Ace had decided that the situation was too hazardous to stay.

_Great. Thanks a lot, you useless knight!_

"Julius," she said gently. "It's called a caffeine crash."

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Julius wound his hands in his hair, clutching at his skull and wishing that the damn pain would just _go away._

_I should never, ever have made that bet! I should've known better than to make a deal with Joker! But then again, if I hadn't..._

He shivered at the thought. Yes, this was much better than the alternative. Just as long as Alice was safe...he could go through anything. Not that he would ever tell Alice that.

_But what's the point if she keeps running into people like _Ace_?!_

Julius scowled and shook his head, wincing a fresh bolt of pain jolted through his skull.

_As long as Alice is fine..._

...Where _was_ Alice?

"Alice?" He called softly, using his desk to push himself up, "Alice, where are you? Alice!"

He was beginning to panic. There weren't really very many places she could be, and Ace could've waited for him to leave...

_Calm down. She was covered in mud when she got here, remember? She's probably just in the shower._

How had she gotten covered in mud, anyway? Had she fallen? Or had Ace pushed her down?

Julius couldn't help but remember the position the two had been in when he went outside. It was very possible. Almost likely. He frowned when he felt a sharp pang in his chest.

_It's just the coffee...just the _caffeine crash_..._

He tried to silence the tiny voice in the back of his head that was telling him it was something else.

_After all, this isn't the first time this has happened. And the other times you'd already had your coffee._

"It's just the coffee, dammit! Nothing else. _Nothing_ else!" He growled, stomping off in search of the missing foreigner.

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Alice sighed happily as she slid her body under the stream of hot water, allowing the heat and steam to wash away the mud covering her body. After she got out, she would make Julius some coffee, and maybe find him a pill for his headache...

_I have to make sure he's as comfortable as possible! After all, if it weren't for me he would still be drinking coffee... Stupid Joker! He didn't even tell me what would happen if I lost! He just 'forgot'. Which was awful convenient for him!_

Alice had figured that (if she lost the game) Joker would simply make her clean something of his, or look after the prisoners, or help him with the circus... something simple like that. She automatically smelled a rat when he refused to tell her what it was, but if she hadn't played with him the game would be forfeit, and he would have won anyway. At least by playing him she had had a chance! But of course she had to lose, and then Joker had jumped his 'price' on her.

_"It's quit simple, my dear, you simply have to move to our territory!"_

She had told him that she wouldn't, threatened to beat his face in for being a cheater (that had only resulted in his laughter) before finally asking him if there was anything, _anything_ else she could do. He had told her that, though it was a stretch, there was _one_ thing. He had also made a point to exaggerate how lenient he was being. But when he had told his price, she had immediately said no. Having Julius take the fall for her did not (and would never) seem like a good idea.

She had never even suspected that he would take it up with Julius. Who had said yes, of course, he would never have left her at the mercy of the Jokers.

_He's so sweet... Even if he acts like he's not._

Alice smiled at the memory. He had been so pissed, glaring at both her and Joker and, even when she told him he shouldn't, told him she wouldn't allow it, he had still played Joker for her.

But now (after Julius had played Joker and lost) he wasn't allowed to drink coffee for three days.

The most Julius had ever gone without a cup of coffee was three hours. And even after that he had feeling sick.

Alice had known immediately that, whatever happened, it _wasn't_ going to be pretty.

And that all of her plans for a nice Valentine's Day could just fly out of a window.

Grabbing a bottle of shampoo and squirting a dollop of the slimy substance into her hand, she began to work it into a lather before scrubbing it into her hair. By the time she was through, there wouldn't be a single speck of mud left anywhere on her body.

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Alice but down the brush and raked her semi-dry hair back from her face. She really needed to get dressed and give Julius some medicine. Unwrapping herself from her towel, she quickly put on her underwear and started into her room.

"Alice?! Alice!" She heard, coming from the corridor.

"Julius!?" She responded, hoping he could hear her.

"Alice, good, there you are," the voice was coming closer now, "I was wondering, could you-" _thump!_ a loud noise came from behind her door, like something (or someone) had just fallen.

"Julius? Julius, are you alright?!" No answer.

Alice yanked the first article of clothing she could see and pulled it on, before yanking the door open and searching the floor for the prone body she knew she would find. It only took only a moment for her to spot him.

"_Julius_!"

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Julius awoke to soft, familiar bed sheets, bright lights, and, strangest of all, the delicious smell of..

"Alice..." He murmured softly, trying to sit up. His hand flew to his forehead as he felt something cool and soft slide down his face, a damp cloth.

"Oh good! You're up!" As his eyes adjusted, he realized that he was in a bedroom, Alice's bedroom, and that Alice was kneeling on the bed next to him with-

"Alice, what are you wearing?!" Julius sat bolt upright, gripping the sheets tightly with one hand.

"Oh..um...you shirt...?" She muttered sheepishly, pulling down on the edge of her clothing, trying to make it cover more. Her efforts were in vain, however, because no matter how much she pulled his shirt only went down to about mid-thigh. Julius felt his eyes popping out of his head.

"Why?!" He stared at her, completely furious, though he didn't know why. He had known that she already considered him family, so why did this bother him?

_She wouldn't wear this in front of Ace...or Blood...or the Jokers...or Boris..._

There really wasn't any guy in the whole of Wonderland, other than him, that she would wear it in front of! ...except for maybe Gowland.

_Great. Now your comparing yourself to a forty year old man. Nice idea, Julius._

"S-Sorry..." Alice muttered, fiddling with the hem of the shirt, "I heard you fall and I was just in my underwear so I grabbed the first thing that I could reach..." She trailed off, as if just know realizing that they were of opposite genders.

_What the hell?! She doesn't even see me as a guy! As her good friend... I might as well be a girl for all she cares._

Julius wasn't sure if it was the lack of coffee or the problem at hand that made him do what he did next.

"Alice..." He growled her name softly, "I might live with you, but I'm a _guy_, you know."

And suddenly she was under him, his body pinning hers to the bed. Gripping her wrists in each of his hands, he leaned in close so that there was barely an inch between their faces.

Alice stared at him for a moment in surprise, before beginning to blush furiously. Julius was vaguely aware that he was probably and even deeper shade of red, having just remembered that Alice was just wearing his shirt and that he could feel her bare leg pressing into his. The shirt was a button-down that she had been going to fix for him, as one of the buttons was missing. He had never really cared about the missing button before, but whenever Alice had seen him wearing the shirt, she had turned a little bit red and told him to give it to her later so she could fix it. He had always wondered why it had embarrassed her, but now that he actually saw it _on_ someone he could _definitely_ see why.

The shirt had a button missing from the center, near Alice's rib cage. He hated the way the shirt just barely peeped open, enticing him. He leaned closer.

"J-Julius...?"

Alice's voice dragged him back to the fact that his weight was pinning her down, and leaped off as if her touch held poison.

"Sorry, Alice." He said, purposely making his voice cold even though all he could really feel was varying degrees of heat and...

Feeling himself blush, Julius spun around and quickly walked down the hall to his room, where he collapsed against the door.

What was _wrong_ with him?!

He wasn't Ace, wasn't Blood, wasn't someone that Alice was physically conscious of, and now she probably _would_ be. It didn't matter if he was physically conscious of her, he shouldn't be trying to get her to feel the same way for him...

So why did her blush and the way she had just looked at him make him happy? Like for once, she was seeing _him_ and just him without any distractions. Like she thought of him as something more than a friend.

Like she maybe, maybe wouldn't mind it if he kissed her.

Shaking his head vigorously, Julius tried to banish any connecting thoughts of the words _Alice_ and _kiss_. Even if her lips _had_ looked like they would taste delicious.

_I'm glad. I'm happy. That position was awkward._

**Admit it**, laughed the tiny voice in the back of his head, the one that told him that he maybe... **You like her. And all you really want to do is go back to just a second ago, except this time you would actually be brave enough to actually ****_try_**** something!**

"Shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up..." He muttered, glaring at the wall.

_I do _not_..._

**You ****_so_****...**

_**Like her!**_

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**So I will ONLY do two more chapters for this. (I hope) And I will (hopefully) get to writing my other story again. That is if (hopefully) inspiration works in my favor... That's an awful lot of hope, don't you agree? ^_^ ah well. See ya humans later! (Oh, and thank you for reading this! （≧∇≦）**


	2. For the Last Time, Just Get Out!

**Feh. I've decided not to waste your time until the end of this chapter. So yeah. Oh, and I'll make up for all the AceXAlice in the next chapter, it will be purely JuliusXAlice heheheh sorry for not doing that for this one nya.**

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Alice stared dejectedly at the doorway, frowning furiously at the open door (which Julius had neglected to close behind him). What had she expected, anyway? He was Julius. Not Peter, not Blood, not Ace... What kind of idiot was she, thinking that he would actually kiss her?! He had never shown any kind of interest in her that wasn't completely friendly, had never acted like he thought of her that way. Until now.

_That probably wasn't his intention. He probably just meant to warn me about wearing clothes like that in front of any guy._

_What he didn't mean to do was confuse me. And he definitely didn't mean to do was make me think he was going to kiss me. And he definitely, _definitely_, doesn't need to know that I was hoping he would. He would think that I was some kind of slut. Wearing only a shirt in front of him... His shirt, even! He would think that Blood was right about me. He would think that I was trying to seduce him! And...he wouldn't like me anymore, would he?_

Swallowing hard, Alice slid herself off the bed, feeling the beginning of tears forming in her eyes.

_Julius..._

She stared longingly at the door to his room as she walked down the hallway to her own, wishing that she could explain everything to him. She didn't want him to think she had been trying to seduce him. She hadn't...Right?

When she reached the door to her own room she pulled on the handle and went inside quietly, wondering how she was ever going to face Julius again. He probably didn't think very much of her right now... She sat down on her bed and stared at the wall miserably, tears leaking out of the corners of her eyes.

"Wow! Julius moves faster than I thought!" A familiar voice called from her doorway. Alice looked up in surprise to see Ace, who was standing in the threshold to her room, leaning against the doorway. She felt heat rising in her cheeks and quickly grabbed the coverlet off her bed to put over herself.

"Get _out_ Ace! I'm not dressed!" She snapped, furiously trying to blink the tears out of her eyes.

"I know!" He said, smiling brightly at her, "Aw, Alice, are you crying? What happened?" His fake sympathy quickly morphed into his normal grin, "Did something happen with Julius?"

He moved like a panther, his arm sliding off the wall as he stalked toward her.

"It's none of your business! Get out of my room!" Alice grabbed the covers with one hand and scrubbed harshly at her eyes with the other, refusing to look at Ace.

She squeaked in surprise when she felt the knight's gloved hand softly cup her cheek, guiding her face upward. She stared at him for a moment, confused by his sudden gentleness. Suddenly, a shark's grin spread across his face and he leaned forward, forcing Alice to lean back. Biting her bottom lip, she couldn't help but think remember that the only thing standing between her and the completely psycho I'll-kill-you-if-I-feel-like-it knight was a thin coverlet and Julius' shirt.

She flinched involuntarily, shooting him her best glare, "Ace. Move. _Now_."

He raised his eyebrows slightly, his expression somehow becoming sinister with his unwavering smile still perfectly in place.

"Now, now, Alice... You know, I really wasn't expecting to find you like this when I came in here. And since you won't tell me what happened..." She yelped as his body pressed down on hers, his hand moving from her face to her wrist, prizing her fingers off the blanket, "It makes me feel kinda jealous, you know? What did you do with Julius, hmm?" He forced her down so that she was now laying completely on the bed, his body weight holding her down. Refusing to let go of her wrist, his other hand grabbed the arm of the hand still desperately trying to keep her covered up. He easily passed both of her wrists into one hand, pinning them over her head.

"Julius and I didn't do anything! I was just in a hurry and this was the first thing I saw so I put it on!" She snapped, trying to look intimidating.

"So you don't love Julius." He said, looking at her in a way that told her he expected an answer. She flinched slightly, wondering why he would ask such a strange question.

"I..." She couldn't look him in the eye.

_How am I supposed to tell him? Do I even know the answer?_

His grip on her wrists tightened and he leaned even closer. Catching her chin with his free hand he forced her to look at him. Even as her face faced his, she still refused to meet his eyes.

_His_ eyes narrowed.

"Ace, please leave me alone." Alice murmured softly, wriggling underneath him. He dropped her chin, his hand now pulling down the covers, making Alice struggle harder. He adjusted his position so that he was now crouched over her, before pressing his mouth along the curve of her jaw. She gasped. His hand slid under the blanket and ran along her side, feeling the curves of her body.

"Ace, _cut it out_!" She yelled fighting furiously against him.

He grinned, "_No_." And then he leaned forward to collide his lips with hers.

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Julius couldn't seem to make himself get up. His head hurt, and sulking felt so much better than facing Alice, who was probably thinking that he was jerk. Like Blood Dupre, whom she seemed to hate so much. A fresh wave a nausea washed over him and he moaned, clutching his head.

_I can't stay here forever... Might as well go and apologize before she _really_ starts to hate me..._

He sighed, before standing up slowly, using the door to support most of his weight.

_I am never drinking another cup of f***ing coffee ever again!_

He winced. Coffee was sounding awfully good right now.

_...I am never going to make another f***ing bet with Joker ever again!_

Much better.

He carefully stumbled his way down the hall, keeping one hand on the wall at all times. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he reached the door to Alice's room. As he was just about to knock, he froze in place. Voices. Alice was talking to someone. He should probably just knock... He leaned his ear to the door instead, listening intently.

"So you don't love Julius." The voice was Ace's, for only he could make his voice so serious yet so amused at one time. Julius flinched. Had Alice said she didn't love him? If only he had been there earlier... But why should he care, anyway?! It wasn't like he was in love with _her_!

"I..." He strained his ears and stood perfectly still for a while, but nothing else came.

He sighed softly, sagging against the door. It took a moment for his thought process to take effect.

_Alice is in her room alone, wearing nothing but my shirt, with Ace._

He stood bolt upright pressing his ear to the door again.

"Ace, _cut it out_!" It was Alice's voice, she sounded furious. Whatever Ace was doing, she didn't support it.

_Good._

"_No_." Came Ace's reply.

Headache forgotten, Julius yanked open the door, not bothering to knock.

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Alice felt like she couldn't breathe. Ace seemed to be everywhere at once, cutting off oxygen supply. His mouth moved over hers furiously, his body pressing against her, as the hand that wasn't keeping a tight grip on her wrists rested over her chest, feeling the beating of her heart and trying his best to make it go faster. The sheet was totally off of her now, and all she was wearing was Julius' shirt, making her even more vulnerable to Ace's attacks. She struggled against him, squirming furiously. Her body was running out of oxygen. She tried to breath through her noise, but for some reason she just couldn't seem to get enough air that way.

"Mmph!" She gasped against Ace's mouth. She felt him grin against her, his hand sliding upward and pulling at her shirt, bringing it down her shoulder and pulling open the buttons. He parted her lips with his mouth, not making any attempt to be gentle and-

"What the _f***_!"

Ace looked up in surprise, breaking the kiss.

"J-Julius?" Alice whispered hopefully, whipping her head around in confusion, trying to get a glance at the clock master. She frowned slightly, recalling his words. She didn't think Julius had ever cursed that badly in front of _anyone_.

"Every time I f***ing turn my back you two are in some kind of goddamned compromising position!" He snapped furiously. Alice finally spotted him, and tried to catch his eye only to find that he was to busy glaring at Ace.

"Ahahahaha! Julius, you're starting to sound like Joker!" Ace grinned happily, getting off Alice as slowly as possible, as if he didn't have a care in the world.

Julius twitched.

"I bet-"

"Just. Get. _Out_." Julius said slowly, glaring at the knight furiously.

"Aw... Julius is in such a bad mood!" He was silenced by a look that could have (if looks could kill) killed Ace in such a horribly slow manner that he would regret not just being killed in the first place. Figuring that it was best to humor the furious clock master, he smirked before walking out of the door. Faze one of 'GAJT' (Get Alice and Julius Together) was completed. And he'd gotten to listen to Alice's heart. This was starting to become a wonderful game-one that _he_ controlled. Not some unseen force, _him_. He whistled to himself happily as he left.

Alice, who had already sat up, tried to straighten her shirt, which was now unbuttoned more than before and was now slipping down one shoulder. She could feel tears welling in her eyes as she struggled with the buttons on the shirt, trying to put them back into the button-holes, which suddenly seemed impossibly small.

"Here, let me help." It was Julius, his voice suddenly a lot gentler, and closer, than before. Alice let out a tiny muffled squeak when she saw that Julius was now kneeling in front of her, his nimble fingers gently fitting the buttons into their proper place without any of the struggle that Alice had endured. His hands moved swiftly, strong and limber from hours of fixing clocks. She could feel herself blushing, even more so than when Ace had kissed her. Her heart was beating out of control, and she could feel the heat of him through her clothes.

"It's fine... I've got it..." She muttered.

He looked at her for a moment before glancing away, scowling slightly, "How many times has that happened?! I mean, this is the second time I've seen it..."

She blushed harder, "N-Not that many! You're making it sound like it happens all the time..."

He blushed to, amazed that he could actually even talk to her about this, "Well, _does_ it?!"

"No!"

"Good." He snapped, finishing with the buttons on her shirt, and starting toward the door.

It was too much for Alice. First it seemed like he did feel something for her other than friendship, then he went and completely changed it around. She felt the tears building up in her eyes again and she stood up off the bed, staring at the wall,"Why did you stop him, anyway?"

He spun around, his mouth open to make a retort until he saw the expression on her face, "Don't cry. Look, whatever, just _don't_ cry! I never know what to do when you cry!"

Alice bit her bottom lip, glaring at him, her vision blurry from tears, "I'm not crying! I _get_ that you hate that, okay?! I'm _not_ crying!"

She watched the tension in his shoulder relax a little bit.

"That's all you care about, anyway!" She yelled furiously, angry at him for making her lose her composure.

"All I-" he muttered, his flashing. Alice was still wiping furiously at her eyes, refusing to look at Julius when suddenly her arm was pulled away from her face.

"That is not-!" And suddenly he was kissing her, backing her into the wall. Alice stared at him in surprise for a moment, staying perfectly still. Then, without warning, just as he was about to draw away, she leaned forward and kissed him back. She felt him gasp in her mouth, pushing forward again.

"Julius..." She breathed, slipping her hands behind his head, her fingers tangling into his hair. His arms came on either side of her head, pressing against the wall and deepening the kiss. He lifted her in his arms, his mouth never leaving hers. She barely noticed as they landed on the bed, his body covering hers. She squirmed underneath him for a moment, trying to get comfortable. He let out a low growl, pressing her farther into the mattress, his hands rucking up the edge of her shirt.

"Well, this is a rather unexpected development!" Ace's cheery voice rang out, causing the unsuspecting couple to immediately leap apart, both blushing profusely. Alice sat up and fixed her shirt, glaring at the bed spread in embarrassment.

"Ace," said Julius slowly, crossing his arms and glaring at the knight, "I was _in the middle of something_!"

The brown haired man smiled appreciatively, "So I've gathered! Ahahahaha, looks like I was right! Julius really does move fast!"

"Just _get out_!" The clock master seethed, his eyebrow twitching slightly. His face was approximately the color of a blushing tomato.

_How many times have I said that today? Ten? Twenty? And all to that stupid knight..._

"Aw... But I brought the clocks you wanted!" He pouted.

"How did you-?!" Julius cut himself off, staring at the bag Ace was holding up in furious confusion, "Just _get out_." He snapped.

The knight gave him an overdone look of faux innocence, shrugging his shoulders and holding up his hands as if to ward away Julius' words; before backing out of the room.

The two remaining people stayed silent for a moment: Julius staring at one wall while Alice stared at the other. Alice wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, just sitting there, before she finally broke the silence.

"Why did you kiss me?" It wasn't that she hadn't liked it-she had. Very much, in fact. She just had to know if he felt the same way as her...

_He probably does. After all, people don't just go around kissing there 'just friends' like that, do they?_

She swallowed hard, waiting impatiently for his answer.

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Julius stared at the wall for a moment.

_Why did you do that?_

Why _had_ he done that? He couldn't seem to remember. His tongue was stuck. He couldn't move, he was petrified. Alice stayed still as well.

_She's waiting for me to answer._

He needed to answer her.

"Because..." He started, floundering for an explanation.

_Because you're important to me. Because I need you. Because you're the most amazing girl I've ever met. Because you stayed with me. Because I like you._

_Because I love you._

Any one of those would have worked. But what came out was, "Because I felt like it."

_Because I felt like it. Oh god._

Could he have picked a worse answer?

_Because I felt like it._

Now she was going to hate him, or at least believe that he didn't care about her at all.

_Because I felt like it._

Of all things, why this? Why did he have to mess up the best moment of his life? Out of the million other things he could have said, he had used the one that completely killed the mood.

_Way to go, Julius. Because I felt like it. Great way to win the girl._

He wished he were dead. And Alice still hadn't moved.

_Blood Dupre would have had five million lines to say there. Peter would have declared his love, loudly. Hell, _Ace_ would have come up with something better!_

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**I know, I know. Everyone who reads my stuff (not many lol, thank you to whoever does, sorry for being such an irksome person heheh) probably hates me right now. Sorry! Nya! I didn't mean for this to happen! It just sorta...did. And after this week I have to go to camp for two weeks so I'm not gonna get anything published then...sorry. Yeah. Heheh. ...you can just go ahead and shoot me now.**


	3. Because I felt like it!

**Hellooooooo! :) I'm finally back! I would have updated (at least a bit) earlier, but my Internets was out... -_- Ah, well... Thank you for reading teh story and being epical! XD**

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_Because I felt like it._

Alice stared at Julius for a moment, remaining perfectly still. She raised her eyebrows curiously, trying to see if she could get a better response, or at least _more_ of a response. When he instead glared at the floor, refusing to meet her eyes, she couldn't help it.

She burst into laughter. His head snapped up immediately, his face turning a deep shade of crimson.

_Well _that_ got his attention!_

"S-Sorry Julius!" She gasped, "I-It's just I _really_-" she laughed harder, "Wasn't expecting that!"

He glared at the wall, looking annoyed.

_Maybe I should stop laughing now..._

But every time she attempted to stop, she would inevitably end up remembering everything that had happened that day, namely 'Because I felt like it', and end up laughing even harder than before.

"If you're finished, can I please go now? I have a lot of work to do, and you need to get dressed." Though his words were addressed to her, Julius kept his eyes trained on the wall in front of him. The color of his face darkening slightly.

Alice blinked in confusion. Was something wrong?

"Well?" He snapped, "Are we finished talking?"

_Is he...embarrassed?!_

The very though sent her into a fresh fit if giggles.

_Julius is so adorable!_

Heat rose to her cheeks, dusting them in red, and her laughter began to die down. Because he _was_. He was really adorable, and that reminded her _why_ she had asked for his reasoning behind the kiss.

"Alright. I'm leaving." The mortician announced, looking directly to one side of her head.

"W-Wait! I need to ask you something before you-!"

He gave her a quick glance and turned crimson all over again, before turning to walk out the door, "_After_ you get dressed."

The door snapped shut with a soft _click!_ and Alice was alone again. She sighed softly.

_Does he like me back? But if he _doesn't_ like me back, why would he kiss me?_

Bad question. It could have just been coffee withdraw. She stood up and walked over to her closet, contemplating just putting on her blue dress again.

_How can I find out if he likes me back?_

That was better. But really, how _could_ she? Asking him hadn't worked, and she doubted, if he really did like her, that he would ever confess. She put her blue dress back in her closet, instead pulling out her nightgown.

_So does that mean I should confess to him first...?_

It was worth a try. After all, who else would he be in love with? She frowned, thinking harder. Who else _could_ he be in love with? She was the only girl he saw on a regular basis, want she? Unless...

She dropped her nightgown.

_What if he doesn't like girls? What if he likes guys?! What if he likes...Ace?!_

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Julius groped moodily for the tool he needed, not wanting to look up from the clock he was working on.

_This is miserable!_

Oh god. He needed coffee so _bad_. His head felt like a rusty butter knife was being slowly hammered into his skull. By either Ace or Blood, he couldn't decide which would be worse. He sighed, taking a moment to stretch his arms over his head. The caffeine withdraw was certainly taking its toll on his body.

And to make matters worse, Alice had _laughed_ at him. Sure, he hadn't exactly been very vocal about his feelings, but surely she had understood what he meant. Maybe. And since she had laughed at him...that meant she didn't feel the same way. Probably.

_Dammit...why couldn't I have just told her I loved her and gotten it over with?_

He glared at the clock in front of him for a moment before getting back to work.

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Ace peered through the window, his fingers hooked tightly in the rim of the windowsill.

_What are they even _doing_?_

Alice was looking worried, and Julius was looking sad. They were both miserable. And for the same _reason_ even. He let out a low chuckle.

_And they say _I'm_ an idiot!_

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_It's now or never, Alice!_

Alice swallowed hard, trailing one hand along the rough stone wall, feeling the slight ridges and dips in the surface. She slowly worked her way over to where Julius was sitting, working on his clocks.

"U-Um..." She muttered softly, playing with the edge of her dress. She planned out exactly what she was going to ask him in her head, but was suddenly feeling shy. This was going to be awkward.

His head snapped up at the sound of her voice, and cleared his throat quickly before replying, "Yes?"

"Well...I was just wondering..." She chewed her bottom lip, "I mean, you know that you're important to me no matter what, right? And that you can tell me, you know, if something, um, happens..."

Julius blinked, "Ah...yes...?

"So...yeah...I was just wondering..." She started, glancing at her feet, "Do you like-" she cut herself off, frowning for a moment, "I mean, not friend like, but _romantic_ like."

Julius hunched his shoulders, seeming very absorbed with the top of his desk.

_I must be right! He must like _someone_!_

"So, in-in that way..." She pulled herself up to her full height, looking the clockmaster in the eye, "Do you like...um, Ace...?"

Alice watched as all of the color drained slowly from his face. His hand closed into a fist on his desk, trembling slightly.

"Alice," he said slowly, "I _kissed_ you. And you're asking me if I like _Ace_?!"

She flushed, "I was just wondering that since you and him have been friends for such a long time-!"

"You're missing the point!" He cut in, "I _kissed_ you! Doesn't that make it _very_ clear what my...sexual preferences are?! Shouldn't you be asking me if I like _you_?!" He stood up, his hands banging against the wooden surface of his desk.

"I was going to ask that next! Except you interrupted me! So there!" She snapped back, taking a step toward him.

"So you _didn't_ already think that I liked you? But you thought I liked _Ace_?! Where's the logic in that?!" The were nose to nose now, glaring at each other.

"We'll that's what I thought at first but then I went back over what you'd said when you kissed me and thought maybe it was just the caffeine withdraw-"

"What kind of caffeine withdraw makes you kiss people for _no reason_-"

"But you didn't have a reason, you said it was 'because you felt like it'-"

"Why did you laugh after that anyway?! It wasn't funny! I was trying to say that I liked you-"

"I was laughing because I thought it was really cute at first, and that maybe you were trying to say you like me back, but then I remembered the coffee-"

Suddenly they both froze.

"Wait..." Alice started, "You..."

"Like me...?" Julius finished, staring at her.

They stared at each other for a moment, just sort of standing there.

Finally, Alice broke the silence, "Um, yeah. I...like you."

"Ah." Julius nodded, "I, um...like you too."

"Well than..." She ventured, glancing at the floor.

"That seemed rather...anticlimactic." He admitted, looking down at her.

Alice glanced up at him, noting that his cheeks were both tinged with pink. She had no doubt that hers were the same color. Suddenly, she smiled, stretching up onto her tiptoes and slipped her arms around Julius' neck.

_Perhaps this will help with the awkwardness...?_

She gently brushed her lips against his, watching as his eyes widened for a fraction of second. His face turned even redder.

She giggled softly for a moment before leaning up again, this time to whisper in his ear, "Do you know why I did that?"

"Why?" Julius breathed back, his fingers winding in her hair.

"Because-" She kissed him on the cheek lightly, "I felt like it!" She finished, pulling away, still smiling.

He stared at for second, before his face broke out into an equally large grin. Catching her around her waist, he pulled her close, catching some of her loose strands of hair and tucking them behind her ear, before whispering to her, "And do you know why I'm doing this?"

Her breathing unsteady, Alice barely managed a soft, "Why?"

"Because...I love you."

"Ladies and gentlemen! May I present the deduction of a _lifetime_! The fact that was _so_ obvious to the rest of us, but which these two didn't figure out until-!"

"Ace, get out. I'm talking to Alice." Julius commanded without looking away from the foreigner.

"Aw..." Ace pouted, lowering his hands from where he had been cupping them around his mouth, "Julius is no fun~!"

Pointedly ignoring him, Alice grabbed Julius' hand and yanked him down the corridor to her room before locking the door. She paused for a moment, before walking across the room and into Julius' arms.

"I love you, too." She murmured against his shoulder.

"Good." He replied, before pushing her back onto her bed.

She gave a soft yelp of surprise as he did so, pushing herself up onto her elbows to see him better. The bed squeaked when Julius climbed in after her, his knees digging into the mattress on either side of Alice's body, "You started it." he muttered against her mouth, "Now...where were we?"

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**Lotsa lotsa fluff... So yeah! Maybe if I get bored at some point I'll add another chapter...but for now it IS COMPLETE! XD My first actually finished story! WHEEEEEEEEEEEEE! And, once again, thanku veeeeeery much for reading! And thanku to humans (or non-humans) who reviewed! Nya~!**


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